Expansible trailer



April 28, 1953 J. VAN TAssEL. 2,636,773

EXPANSIBLE TRAILER IN VEN TOR.

` April 28, 1953 J. VAN TA'ssEL 2,636,773

EXPANSIBLE TRAILER Filed Dec. 16, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTOR.

fama y@ yaue April 28 1953 i J. VAN TAssEL 2,636,773

' EXPANSIBLE TRAILER Filed Dec. 16, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 7D 32 7] IB G- H 2a @fgt/O B n :I ll

l l 2l l 4/ l l l l l I 27 w I7 rl@ IIIIIIYI Way M M Patented Apr. 28, 1953 EXPANSIBLE TRAILER James Van Tassel, Santa Ana, Calif., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Alert Development Corporation, a corporation of California Application December 16, 1949, Serial No. 133,293

Claims.

too loosely constructed to withstand road-travel or that they required excessive labor and skill to convert from one form to the other. A disadvantage common to many expansble trailers has been that the mechanism upon which the movable sections rolled or slid from one position to another and by which these sections were supported in their expanded positions, has been traditionally under the floor boards, where it accumulated dirt and was inaccessible for cleaning. Obviously, the hardened mixture of mud, dust, and oil, ordinarily to be found on the under-chassis of any vehicle, is not conducive to free operation of slides or rollers nor to the litting of removable parts in sockets clogged by such a mixture. Neither is the prospect of having to clean beneath the floor boards upon arrival at a camp-site conducive to expansible trailer ownership.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an expansible trailer in which the guiding and supporting mechanism for the movable portion yof the trailer is disposed where it is less likely to accumulate dirt and where it is readily accessible for cleaning.

A further object of the invention is to provide an expansible trailer of simplified design and sturdy construction, convertible between compacted and expanded forms by simple operations requiring little time or skill and made practicable by the aforesaid dirt-free construction.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an expansible trailer in which the movable portion has a rigid construction of roof and walls, and in which the movable section is supported in expanded position by its walls, which must of necessity have inherent strength to withstand road-shock, rather than by under-floor bracing, thereby saving weight and duplication of costs.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an expansible trailer in which the rigid wall and roof .structure of the movable Section, and

likewise the iioor thereof, serve to strengthen and reinforce the structure of the stationary section, when in compacted road-travelling position, rather than merely being dependent thereon for support.

The invention possesses other objects and. useful advantages which will be pointed out as the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention proceeds, or will be apparent from that description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is an end elevational view of a trailer embodying the principles of the present invention, showing the trailer expanded;

Figure 2 is another end elevational view, showing the same trailer compacted. and with the supporting mechanism for the movable section of the trailer shown extended and ready to support said section. and also, in broken lines, folded in road-travelling position;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the trailer in its compacted form, taken from the right of Figure 2. and showing the supporting mechanism folded into road-travelling position;

Figure 4 is a floor plan view of the expanded trailer, the plane of section being approximately indicated by the line 4--4 of Figure l;

Figure 5 is an enlarged elevational detail. view of the supporting mechanism shown in Figure '1;

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view of the supporting mechanism taken on the line of section 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a further enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the supporting mechanism, taken from the right of Figure 6 as indicated by the line 'l-'l thereof;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7, but with the trailer compacted and the supporting mechanism folded in road-travelling position, as represented in Figure 3.

Figure 9 is a medial transverse vertical sectional view taken on the plane of section indicated by the line 9 9 of Figure 3, showing the floor of the movable trailer section raised to compacted position;

Figure 10 is a sectional view on the same plane of section as Figure 9, but showing the trailer expanded and the floor lowered;

Figure 1l is an enlarged detail in plan of a corner of the movable section of the trailer, showing mechanism by which movement of the floor is utilized to cause telescopic movement of the movable trailer section; and

Figure l2 is a fragmentary sectional view on the same planes as Figures 9 and 10, and showing the trailer partly telescoped, and also showing a modied form of mechanism for simultaneously moving the floor and telescoping the trailer.

Having reference now to the details oi the drawings, my improved expansible trailer comprises a-iixed housing body i and a movable housing body 'l 6, `4the'body i5 beingbuilt upon and fixed to a chassis frame ll having wheels i6, and the body 6 being arranged as hereinafter set forth to have telescopic lateral movement relative to the body l5. The xed body i5 has a roof I9 supported by end walls 2i! and side wall 2| which may be provided with doors ZZ and windows 23 as may appear convenient. /As shown in Figures 9, 10, and l2, there Amay be another side wall 24 opposite the wall 2i, a1- though as such a wall will serve only as an interior partition, it may consist only of suitable framework supporting interior panels and door- .irames The end walls lill are spaced inwardly from the ends -of the chassis il' so as to leave exposed the end transverse .chassis frame members f2.5. ISuitable draw-bar means 2S are secured to one of the frame members door .2l of the xed housingbody be supported by and secured -to suitable .chassis vframe members v2li, so as better to support heavy tures such as a stove, refrigerator, sini; (not shown) which will `normally be carried the xed part -of the trailer.

rThe movable housing .body it .has end walls 30, .aside wall `and a roof 3i? so 4propor'tioned in height and length that the walls Sil are outside of the end walls 2E) of the fixed housing body when the two bodies are telescopically Ycoinpacted.. and the roof 3?. is above the roof le. A floor .33 .is connected by `hinges 3ft to ixed housing body 1.5 at the base of the wal-l 2li, so that it may either .be swung to a vertical position ragainst the wall v2t, when the trailer is -cornypasted, or swung Idownward to kserve .as the .iloor for the movable rhousing body i e when the trailer is expanded. Suitable sills e5 at the vbase of the walls 3o and 3| Vsupport the floor in vits lowered position. Windows 3S may be provided in walls 30. to align -w-ith `windows 23 in the walls ill when the trailer is compacted.

To facilitate movement Iof the movable housing ybody .le yrelatively to the lined housing body i5, the end transverse chassis -frame members v255 are provided with rollers 38 upon which the end walls 2t may rol-l. The walls 2c Aare provided with grooves on their lower margins, as tracks for the rollers 38. `It will vbe observed (see Figures 5 to 8) that the rollers 38 areconveniently `placed. for lubrication and cleaning, being on the lupper face of the chassis frame .members 25, and that they are thus protected `by the ymembers 25 from direct splash of oil and mud normally incidental to4 road-travel.

Movement of the movable housing body iii between its expanded and compacted positions, and lowering `and lraising `of the floor 33, are accomplished simultaneously by mechanism now to be described. A winch et is mounted on the side wall 243 within the xed yhousing body i5, for winding and releasing a wire cable 4| which extends through an opening 42 in the wall 21?. to a ring-bolt 43 or other suitable fitting at the distal margin of the oor 33 to which it may be detachably secured by a hook fifi or the like. Mounted on the distal corners of the floor 33 are rollers 45, engaged in flanged channels lli disposed vertically in the corners formed by the walls 3G and 3l. When the winch is operated to wind up the cable il and raise the iioor 33, the rollers 45 pull inwardly upon the channels 4S in the manner of roller-cams and cause the movable housing body I6 to telescope upon the fixed housing body I5. Conversely, when the winch l0 is released, the weight of the floor it bearing against ythe channels it pushes 'the movable housing Ibody I6 outwardly. When I refer hereafter to push-pull action, l refer to the pushing and pulling of the rollers it on the channels 46.

The r'cable 4| may be led directly from the winch 4|) tothe floor 33, as shown in Figure iii, in which 'case it `may be detached from the fitting 43 and wound upon the winch when the trailer has been expanded until it is again required to raise 'the Ifloor. Alternatively, a cable die may lead, as shown in Figure 12, around sheaves fil? on the wall 24 and thence to a sheave on the wall 3| nea-r the roof, and thence to the iitting 4.3. VIn the latter instance, the cable need not be detached, as it will traverse the movable housing vbody rIG above 'head-level, and it will exert a direct pull upon the wall 3i in addition to the pull of the rollers Il?) upon the channels itt, when the cable is wound.

While the rollers '45 and channels i5 will hold the movable housing body i6 in the compacted position shown in Figure 9, they are not relied upon to do so during road-travel of the trailer. Bolts 9 'may be used to secure the sill at the base of the wall 3| 5to the chassis frame `i 'i under-- lying the Wall 24. These bolts are readily accessible for loosening when "the trailer is to be expanded.

During movement of the Ymovable `housing body I'B to and from its expanded position, the body I3 is balanced by cantilever action of the truss mechanism shown in Figures 5 to 8. Lever bars 5|) are pivotally secured by bolts 5i to the inner sides of the end walls'iadjacent the free margins thereof so that the bars El) may be swung upward into pockets 52 formed between the walls 3U and the walls '29 when 'the trailer is compacted or may be swung downwardly to horiaontal positions. The bars 5Fl are limited Vin 'their downward swing "to horizontal positions by linkages pivotally secured to lugs 'Sli at 'the distal ends of the bars 5! and by bolts 55 to the walls si) at substantial .heights above the bolts so 'that the bars 5D, linkages l53, and walls 3Q form triangular trusses adapted to keep v'the walls it from sagging when 'the bars 5G are held horizontally. The linkages 53 may be simply jointed and folding bars, but 'to s'ave space in the pockets 52 a telescopic construction is preferred in which a rod 5'5 slides within a 'tube 5l 'and is prevented from separating Vfrd'nl 'the tube by a collar E3 on the rod engaging 'a cap 59 on the tube.

To exert cantilever force upon the bars Wheels 6B are mounted on 'the outside of the end walls 2li of the fixed housing body l ii, being offset from the walls by blocks 6| so as to run on ridges 62 on the upper 'sides "of the bars 5t. The wheels 6U are 'disposed suiciently inwardly from the side wall 2l so 'that the 'pivot bolts iii pass beyond the wheels B when the trailer is compacted as shown in Figure 2the bars ce then being free oi restraint by the wheels 6l) and being capable of being folded into the pockets 52 or of being extended horizontally.

With the above-described cantilever' trusses acting on the end walls 30 to hold the walls from sagging as they receive less or more support from the rollers 38, the corner frame structure of the movable housing body I6 may advantageously be used both to supply strengthto the walls and to sustain weatherstripping for the whole structure. Figure 6 is in part illustrative of such frame structure. Upright framing pieces 66, attached to the outside of the corners formed by the wall 20 and 24 may be provided with weatherstrips or gaskets 61 and 68. Upright frame members 69, `strengthening the free ends of the walls 30, will seal against the gaskets 61 when the trailer is extended, and the channels 4t` at the other ends of the wall 30 will seal against the gaskets 68 when the trailer is compacted. End rafters 'IU under the roof 32 will seal against a raised member 1I, reinforcing the roof I9 above the partly cut-away wall 24. The outside side wall 3 I may be held to moderate weight and strength, to reduce the unbalancing force upon the expanded trailer, as this wall will bear little stress in the expanded position and will be supplemented as van outside wall in the compacted position by the raised floor 33 and the interior wall 24.

To expand the trailer from a compact vehicle to a dwelling having approximately twice the fioor space of the vehicle, thebolts 49 are removed to permit relative movement of the housing bodies, and the lever bars 50 are swung down to their horizontal positions as shown in Figure 2. The winch 40 is then released to permit unwindng of the cable 4I, which will have been left attached to the ring-fitting 42 during roadtravel of the vehicle. A slight push on the floor 33 may be required to give the floor an inclination from the vertical, after which the weight of the fioor acting through the rollers 45 upon the channels [i6 will cause the movable housing body I6 to roll outwardly upon the rollers 38. When the ioor 33 comes to rest upon the sills 35, the `expansion of the trailer is completed. During this expansion movement, no counterbalancing or propping of the movable body I6 is required, other than that provided by the cantilever trusses, as the weight of the chassis I1, the fixed body I5 and the xtures and furniture contained therein will more than counterbalance the movable body I6. Before furniture is moved into the movable body I6, jacks 'I2 may be placed beneath the sills 35, and it will be noted that no preliminary levelling of the ground beneath the movable body I6 is required, and that there are no extended support bars or tracks requiring levelling or alignment.

To return the vehicle to its compacted form, any furniture in the movable body I6 is moved to the xed body I5, the jacks 12 are removed, the cable 4I is attached to the ring fitting 42 (if the cable 4m is used, it may be permanently attached) the winch 40 is operated to raise the floor and pull the movable body inwardly, the bolts 49 are replaced, and the bars 50 and linkages 53 are folded into the pockets 52.

Obviously, numerous changes in design and construction are possible in the trailer here shown and described by way of example, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, which I wish to have interpreted as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a vehicle of the character described: a fixed housing body, including endlwalls; a movable housing body adapted for telescopic movement relative to said xed housing body and having end walls arranged to envelop exteriorly the end walls of said fixed housing body; co-

operating guide means on said xed housing body and on the end walls of said movable housing body for guiding said movable housing body in said telescopic movement; means on said movable housing body extensible therefrom exteriorly of the end walls of said fixed housing body; means for securing said extensible means rigidly in their extended positions; roller means on said fixed housing body engaging said extensible means when the latter are extended for exerting cantilever action thereon to support said movable housing body; afloor for said movable housing body hinged to said fixed housing body; means for moving said floor between vertical and horizontal positions; and means carried by said movable housing body and by said floor for automatically moving said movable housing lbody to compacted relation with said fixed housing body as said fioor is raised and moving it to extended relation as said fioor is lowered.

2. In a vehicle of the character described: a fixed housing body; a horizontally movable housing body telescopically arranged in relation to said fixed housing body; a fioor for said movable housing body hingedly conected at one edge to said fixed housing body; means for raising and lowering said floor; vertical track means on said movable housing body extending upwardly from the distal edge of said floor; and means on said oor slidably engaging said track means so as to exert a push-pull thereon for causing inward and outwardmovement of said movable housing body in response, respectively, to upward and downward arcuate movement of said fioor.

3. In a vehicle of the character described: a fixed housing body; a movable housing body telescopically arranged in relation to said fixed housing body; a floor for said movable housing body hingedly connected to said fixed housing body; means for raising and lowering said floor; vertical channels on said movable housing body; and rollers mounted marginally on said iioor and engaging said channels to exert an outward push thereon when said floor is lowered and an inward pull thereon when said floor is raised.

4. In a vehicle of the character described: a fixed housing body; a movable housing body open at one side and at the bottom and arranged to envelop three sides and the roof of said fixed housing body when in a telescopically compacted relation thereto; a floor for said movable housing body hinged to said fixed housing body; support means for the free margins of said iioor on the walls of said movable housing body; and support means for the walls of said movable housing body when in telescopically extended relation to said fixed housing body inclusive of trusses connecting said walls at levels above said floor to corresponding ends of said fixed housing body.

5. In a vehicle of the character described: a fixed housing body inclusive of a chassis and having end walls disposed inwardly from the ends of said chassis; a movable housing body arranged for telescopic movement relative to said fixed housing body and having end walls disposed to envelop exteriorly the end walls of said fixed housing body; means adjacent theends of said chassis for supporting the end walls of said movable housing body during telescopic movement thereof; levers respective to the end walls of said movable housing body and pivotally connected to said Walls for movement between `vertical positions and horizontal positions in which they are in parallel extension of saidwalls; means for limiting downward movement of said levers to movement toA said horizontal positions; and rollers mounted on said xed housing vbody engageable with -the upper sides `of said levers when the latter are in said horizontal positions, whereby said movable housing body is further supported by cantilever action of said levers and said rollers when in extended position.

6. In a vehicle of the charac-ter described, the construction set -forth in Aclaiin 5, in which the end walls of said housing body are spaced to form laterally opening pockets when in coinpacted position, and said levers are foldable into said pockets.

7. In a vehicle of the character described, the construction set forth in claim in which said means for holding said levers rigidly comprise linkage means pivotally secured to the -end walls of said movable housing body at substantially elevated positions so as to form with said levers and said walls trusses lfor vthe support of said movable housing body.

8. An expansible trailer comprising: a fixed body; a movable body having end walls, a side wall, and a roof movable telescopically relative to said iixed body, said movable body being supported relatively to said xed body by said end walls; a floor for said movable body hinged to said fixed body forvertical swinging rnovement and 'having its distaledge normallyv disposed vat the 4foot of said side wall; and cable means for simultaneously pulling said movable body inwardly towardsaid fixed body and swinging said licor upwardly; said cable means extending' from said-fixed body to ya position on said movable body abovel said normal position of the distal edge of said oor and thence to said distal edge, whereby release of said cable means permits said iioor to incline from a raised position toward said side wall.

9. In Ia vehicle having .a xed body, a body movable telescopicall-y with respect to said fixed body, anda floor for 'said movable body having yvertical arcuate movement about an edge of said :floor transverse to the telescopic movement of lsaid movable body: means for raising and lower- :ing said floor arcuately; vertical tracks on said movable body adjacent the distal edge Vof said floor; and means on said iioor adjacent the distal yedge thereof land 'engaging said tracks so as 'to exert a push-pull force thereon 'for converting upward and downward arcuate movement of said floor respectively into inward and outward 'telescopic movement Vof :said Vmovable body.

10. In a vehicle 'having `a fixed ybody, a body movable telescopically with :respect to said iixed body and a floor for `said movable body having vertical arcuate movement about `an edge of `said floor transverse to the telescopic .movement of said movable body: la cable connected both to Vsaid movable body and to 'the distal edge 'oi said door and having one end connected to `said fixed body, so as when tensed to exert Asimultaneously an inward jpull on said movable body and an upward pull on the distal edge of said floor; means for tensing and releasing said cable; and means `on the distal edge of said floor slidably engaging a vertical 'portion of said vehicle whereby said floor 'by arcuate downward movement may exert a Apush on ,said vertical portion.

JAMES VAN TASSEL References Cited in the l'e 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATIENTS Number Name .Date

v 6%,306 Leppert Dec. 3l, 1901 2,368,936 McGehee Feb4 16, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number ,y Country Date 53,167 Germany Aug. 13, 1890 329,088 Great Britain May l5, 1936 

